


Pushing Forward

by catsaretriangles



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Aftermath, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angst and Feels, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Best Friends, Car Accidents, Character Death, Childhood Friends, College, Death, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, F/F, F/M, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pregnancy, Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers, Unplanned Pregnancy, implied eating disorder
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-17
Updated: 2020-04-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:08:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 20,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23183035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/catsaretriangles/pseuds/catsaretriangles
Summary: Adora x Glimmer/College AU/Adora is Bow's long time best friend since childhood and when he dies in a sudden car accident she vows to look out for his girlfriend Glimmer. What none of them know is Glimmer is pregnant with his child and Adora is the only one who can be there for her. Along the way she starts developing feelings for her and things get complicated.
Relationships: Adora & Bow (She-Ra), Adora & Glimmer (She-Ra), Adora/Glimmer (She-Ra), Bow/Glimmer (She-Ra), Lonnie/Scorpia (She-Ra), Mermista/Sea Hawk (She-Ra)
Comments: 40
Kudos: 57





	1. Chapter One

Adora was not expecting to be woken up in the middle of the night by her phone vibrating like crazy the night after Christmas. She had woken up to her ringtone ringing loudly beside her head since she'd apparently forgotten to turn it to silent before bed and she sleepily grabbed her phone and hit decline without checking who was calling. She paused for a split second when she saw there was over 60 unread text messages at the top of her screen and she unlocked her phone to see what was going on.

She didn't know what she'd expected to see but it wasn't this.

The text messages were from her best friend's dads, they'd both been frantically texting her and when she began reading the texts her heart sank.

'Adora, Bow was in a bad car accident on the highway and he's in the hospital and he might not make it! Please come as soon as you can.' -Lance

'Please give us a call when you have the chance! I know Lance messaged you already but you need to come now! Give us a call when you get this message.' -George

Adora couldn't read through the rest of the messages as tears were blurring her eyes as she frantically dialed George's number while rummaging through her closet to try and find a coat to throw on. Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she tried not to wake her roommate with all her noise.

"Hello?" came George's voice from the other end after a period of agonizing silence while she waited for him to pick up, his voice clearly hoarse from crying.

"Hey George, it's me. I'm heading out now. What hospital are you at?" she asked, keeping her voice low as she glanced back at Mermista who was still sound asleep, snoring away as the blonde grabbed her car keys and rushed out of her dorm.

"Bright Moon State Hospital. Please hurry."

"I'm coming as fast as I can. I'll be there soon, watch over him for me until I get there, ok?" she asked, already knowing what his answer would be as she dashed into the cold winter night and raced to find her car in the student parking lot. The night sky was pitch black with no stars in sight and she could feel the harsh winter wind freezing her tears as she buried her face in her winter coat.

"Of course, we're looking after him as best we can."

Adora smiled sadly to herself as she choked back a sob, collapsing into the front seat of her car as she gripped her phone tighter to her ear. "Thank you." she choked out, before hanging up and breaking down in sobs.

/

It was a short drive from Adora's university to the hospital but the drive felt like it was taking hours, every red light causing her to curse under her breath as she waited impatiently for it to turn green, the red light seemingly taunting her as her hands clutched the steering wheel with every ounce of strength she had left.

Bow had been her best friend since she was five. Adora's parents had been killed by a drunk driver when she was less then a year old, they'd been out on a date and she'd been left home with her babysitter when the accident happened. She had no living grandparents or relatives of any kind and she was thrown into foster care. She'd eventually been placed into a decent home with with a friendly couple and everything was good for the first couple years. They had officially adopted her as their own and then out of nowhere the dad had abandoned them when she was three and her adopted mother became an alcoholic and was extremely abusive towards her, physically, verbally and emotionally.

She'd met Bow at the start of kindergarten and although she'd been closed off and cold towards everyone in her class, Bow had persisted on trying to befriend her and eventually she caved in and became his friend. They were close for years and their friendship only continued to strengthen over time. Bow was the first one she came out to when she realized she was a lesbian, he was the first person she'd told when she was struggling with anorexia and he helped her realize she needed help and was the main reason why she decided to seek therapy and get better.

But most importantly he was the first person she ever confided in about her adopted mother's abuse and he had encouraged her to go to the police and report her. He had gone with her with his dads and together they filed a report and got her thrown in jail. She'd been 15 at the time and his family had taken her in and given her a roof to live under. She had become a part of their family and she felt at home with his dads and they often referred to her as the daughter they never had.

Bow was an amazing friend to her and she loved him like a brother. Now they were attending the same university and everything was going perfectly. They saw each other regularly and would hang out all the time. Bow had gotten a girlfriend less then two months ago who she'd briefly met once and they were still as close as they were when they were five. Everything was perfect until now.

Adora slammed her head against the steering wheel as she was stopped by another red light. "Damn it!" she screamed, her lungs burning as she tried to contain herself so she wouldn't lose control and barrel through the red light. "I don't have time for this!"

As if on cue the light turned green and her foot eagerly slammed on the gas pedal as she drove towards the hospital, her heart beating out of her chest as her mind focused on her best friend who was probably getting closer to dying with each passing second.

Eventually she reached the hospital and she ran out of her car and into the emergency room. She ran up to the secretary, practically out of breath as she tried to force her words out."I'm... I'm Adora Ross. I'm here to see Bow Pearson."

The nurse typed something into her computer screen as she rubbed her chin before pointing in the direction of the elevators. "You have permission to see him as per the request of his fathers. The elevator is to your left, he's on floor six room 139."

"Thank you." Adora replied before rushing towards the elevator. It wasn't long before the elevator reached ground level and when she entered it was completely empty. She stepped inside and hit the button for floor six and closed her eyes as she tried to think positive thoughts.

'I'm sure he'll be alright, this is Bow we're talking about! Bow won't just die, he can survive anything.'

Try as she might she knew that hoping he'd make it was wishful thinking and that believing he'd survive would just devastate her further when he did succumb to his injuries.

When the elevator reached floor six she stepped out with a heavy heart as she prepared to say goodbye to her best friend. The halls were empty and quiet as she searched for the correct room number. Eventually she found it and she pushed the door open gently as she walked in.

George and Lance were sitting on opposite side's of the hospital bed where Bow laid. He was covered in bandages and hooked up to all kinds of machines as his chest fell up and down. His face was bloody and he had bruises and cuts everywhere.

Tears filled her eyes as she walked over to her friend and bent down to see him. His eyes were barely open and upon seeing her a small smile crossed his face.

"Hey Adora." he choked out, his voice raspy and hardly there.

"Hey." she whispered, trying not to let him see her cry as she gently reached a hand out to stroke his cheek. "How are you feeling?"

"Like shit." he said, chuckling before he began coughing up a storm, blood trickling out of his mouth as he groaned.

Adora gasped as she pulled her hand away, trying to force herself to remain calm and to not break down. "Don't worry Bow, you'll get through this, I promise. We made it through everything together and this is no different, right?"

He shook his head and Adora broke down in tears as she felt Lance wrap an arm around her. "Adora... I don't think I'm going to make it. I need you to be strong."

"You can't leave me!" she wailed, sobbing into Lance's chest as she felt George's arms wrap around her as well. "I... I need you. Who am I going to talk to at three am when I can't sleep? Who am I going to binge watch stupid movies with who won't mock me for it the whole time? Who am I going to take road trips with and rock out to old rock songs on the radio while we get lost in some small town along the way that nobody's ever heard of? Who's going to be the best man at my wedding? I can't lose you, please!" she yelled, her body shaking violently as tears poured down her cheeks, her heart heavy in her chest as everything came pouring out.

"Adora, please look at me."

Adora pulled away from the embrace of the two men she'd ever truly viewed as father figures and looked over at Bow who had tears running down his cheeks as he etended a hand towards her.

"Please come here." he said quietly, his hand shaking as he began coughing once more.

Adora grabbed his hand in hers and squeezed it as she felt his hand reach up to brush her tears away. "I love you Adora. You're my best friend, you're like a little sister to me. I would give anything to stay but I know I won't make it. Please be strong for me, I'll always be watching over you."

"I'll try to be strong." Adora said through tears as she planted a gentle kiss on the boy's hand. "I love you too Bow, thank you for everything. I don't know where I'd be if it weren't for you."

He smiled back at her, his face paler then before as he struggled to keep a grip on her hand. "That's my Adora." he said half jokingly as he held back a laugh. "Can you do one more thing for me? Look out for Glimmer for me. I haven't been with her for long but I know she's going to need a lot of support and she doesn't have any friends. Please look out for her for me."

Adora nodded as she wrapped her arms around her friend as she cried into his shoulder. "Of course I will. Thank you Bow. You're my best friend."

"You too... Adora."

She felt his body go limp against hers and she knew he was gone before she heard the loud scream of his heart monitor flatlining. The tears came faster as she clutched his lifeless body closer to herself as if she could somehow bring him back if she hugged him tight enough. "Come back please." she sobbed quietly into his shoulder, only to be met with no response.

She pulled away, burying her face in her hands as George and Lance's sobs echoed throughout the room. The grief filled the room to the brim and Adora could only help but wonder why someone as amazing and kind as Bow had to be taken away from them.

She heard the door fling open and her head shot up as she turned to see a shorter girl with pink hair come bursting in, tear tracks staining her cheeks as she stood in just a pair of pajamas and a winter parka. Adora couldn't place her finger on where she knew this girl from but when she spoke she remembered.

"Where is he?" she cried, her voice hoarse and shrill as her entire body shook.

Glimmer, that's who she was. Adora had met her once in Bow's dorm briefly. She had been bringing over study notes from a class she shared with Bow from the day before which he'd missed due to being sick and she'd offered to bring him the notes to copy down. She'd met the pixie haired girl briefly as she was sitting on his couch with him, the two laughing as they watched an old movie while ramen noodles sat in a bowl on the end table.

Bow had introduced the two briefly and they'd only said a few words to each other and Adora's impression of her was that she seemed nice but she never saw her after that. She'd almost forgotten what she looked like until just now.

George and Lance were crying too much to answer her as she rushed over to Bow's side where his lifeless body lay. "Bow!" she cried out, grabbing his hand as she sobbed. "Please wake up, I'm here now!"

Adora's response was to immediately pull the girl into a hug as she rubbed her back. "I'm sorry Glimmer, he's gone." she whispered into her ear, the other girl's breath hitching before she buried her face in her shoulder and began to sob, her body shaking like wild in Adora's arms.

Adora barely knew this girl that was in her arms but the fact that they both lost someone they cared deeply about was what brought them together in that moment, the two hanging to each other for dear life as grief consumed them. Adora didn't know Glimmer well but she knew she was going to keep her word to Bow and that she would look out for her and be there for her.

But right then and there Adora had no idea what would be in store for her not long after and just how much she'd really truly need to be there for this girl in her arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey so this story is going to be really long and its going to be a bit of a slow burn. I really want to build up their relationship and give it a lot of time before I start diving into the romance but I'm really excited for this story and I hope some of you will like it! I hope you enjoyed and stay tuned for another chapter coming soon!


	2. Chapter Two

Adora didn't know how long she'd been letting Glimmer cry in her arms for when the doctors and nurses came rushing in, the two girls pulling away as the medical staff rushed over to Bow's side, trying to revive him one last time before ultimately failing.

Glimmer's whole body was trembling as she made her way towards the door, tears streaming down her face as she glanced at Bow one last time. "I-I need a drink of water." she stammered before rushing out of the room.

Adora could only stare blankly at Bow's lifeless body as his dads said goodbye to him one last time before he was covered up and taken out of the room to be taken down to the morgue. She felt completely numb, shock slowly filling her entire body, before a hand on her shoulder startled her out of her daze. She looked up to see Lance looking down at her with a sad smile, George nowhere to be seen anywhere in the room.

"Thank you for coming Adora. I'm sure it meant a lot for Bow to be able to see you one last time." he said quietly, brushing away tears as he gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"Lance I'm so sorry for your loss. Bow was my best friend, he meant so much to me." she said quietly, blinking away tears. "You and George have been like fathers to me, thank you for letting me see him one last time."

"Oh Adora." he said before leaning down and pulling the young blonde into a tight hug. "You're practically our daughter. You're a part of our family now and you always will be. The least we could do was give you a chance to see him one last time."

Adora closed her eyes as she buried her face in his chest, sobbing uncontrollably as she felt his hand running up and down her back. "Thank you." she choked out between sobs, her breath hitching as she spoke.

The man pulled away and she could see visible tear stains on his face as he gave her another small smile. "You always have a place to stay with us, alright? If you ever need anything give us a call."

"Thank you, I will." she replied, her throat burning as she looked over at the cot where Bow had been only a few minutes ago. "What happened tonight?" she asked quietly, unsure of whether she wanted to know the gruesome details or not.

"Bow... Bow went out to visit a couple of his friends who live about an hour away and he was driving back to campus on the highway when a car came barreling over from the opposite lane and crashed into him and sent his car rolling into the ditch where it landed upside down." he said quietly, wincing as he spoke. "I don't know how he didn't die straight away."

Adora felt her stomach tighten as visuals of Bow's car flying through the air and crashing in the ditch entered her mind and she felt nauseous as she stood up from her chair. "I'm going to go get a drink from the vending machine. I'm really sorry for your loss." she said before quickly exiting the room.

She wandered down the hallway aimlessly lost in her thoughts before noticing Glimmer all alone at the end of the hallway. She was sitting on a bench with her head tucked in her knees as she cried. Adora couldn't help but wonder if she should leave her alone or not but the promise she'd made to Bow kept echoing in her mind.

She walked over to the vending machine next to the girl and put in enough change for two bottles of pepsi, the drinks falling to the bottom of the machine as she bent down to collect them. She sat down quietly next to Glimmer and gently tapped her on the shoulder as she extended a bottle towards her.

Glimmer looked up at her, her eyes bloodshot as she sniffled, glancing down at the drink with a confused look in her eyes. "What are you doing?"

"I thought you could use a drink, don't worry it's on me. I'm sure you could use a friend right now."

The pink haired girl paused before shyly taking the drink from her hand, sniffling as she began unscrewing the cap. "Thank you. It's Adora, right?" she asked quietly, her voice tired and raspy as she took a swig from the ice cold drink.

"Yeah, I'm Adora. We met once a month or so back. I've never seen you around campus though."

Glimmer chuckled quietly before her face fell once more. "Well I guess you could say I'm not a very social person. When I'm not in class I'm in my dorm or at my job."

"What are you studying?"

"Nursing, I want to become a nurse later on in life so I can help people. How about you?"

"Physiotherapy. I want to become a physical therapist for some of the same reasons you probably want to become a nurse." Adora replied, staring down at the untouched bottle of pepsi in her hands as she ran her fingers over it's cold surface.

The two fell silent as the sounds of hospital machinery and staff running around filled the air. Eventually Glimmer let out a frustrated sigh as she buried her face in her hands. "I was so close to seeing him before he passed. I didn't wake up to my phone ringing right away and when I did wake up it was only to grab a glass of water and I wasn't planning on checking my phone at first. Then I had a hard time getting a taxi since I don't drive and then traffic was so slow and... I was too late." she muttered, chucking her empty bottle at the recycling bin across the hall where it missed and fell onto the floor.

Adora stood up, walking over to where the empty bottle lay and tossed it in the bin. "It's not your fault, none of us were expecting this to happen. I'm sure he knew there was a reason why you weren't there." she said, trying to sound comforting as she sat back down next to her.

Glimmer shrugged as she stood up, brushing her pajama pants off as she brushed her tears away. "I hope you're right." she said quietly before glancing over in the directions of the elevators. "I'm going to head back to campus. Thanks for being there for me." she said before turning around and beginning to walk off.

"Wait! You don't have a ride do you?"

Glimmer turned around, pausing in her tracks as she shook her head. "No but it's alright. I have enough money for a taxi ride home, I'll be fine."

"I was going to head back to campus right now anyways and I could give you a ride! It'll save you some money."

The pink haired girl paused before making up her mind. "Thank you, that would be great. I really appreciate it."

Adora smiled at her as she stood up, walking over to her side as the two continued their walk over to the elevators. "Don't worry about it, we're both heading to the same destination anyways."

The ride back to their dorms was tense and silent, Adora was lost in her head thinking about Bow and she could only imagine Glimmer was feeling the same things she was. Every red light she'd glance over at her and would see her with her head pressed up against the window, tears glinting in her eyes as she stared out at the night sky. Both of them were numb with shock as they struggled to come to terms with reality.

Eventually Adora pulled into the student parking lot, finding her spot with ease as she parked her car and got out. "What floor are you on?" she asked as Glimmer stepped foot outside.

"Third floor."

"Same here, I never realized you were on the same floor as me. I guess we're heading to the same floor then."

Glimmer silently nodded as the two made their way inside, quietly navigating the halls before Glimmer stopped at a dorm right near the entrance to the third floor. "This is my dorm." she said quietly. "I live here alone."

"'Well then I guess I'll see you around." Adora replied, turning away before pausing and turning back around. "Do you want a hug?"

Glimmer had already pulled out her key and was ready to unlock her door when the question was posed. She glanced over at her, hesitating before she shoved her key in her pocket and wrapped her arms around the blonde without saying anything. Adora could feel wet tears dripping onto her shoulder but she didn't mind. She wrapped her arms around the shorter girl and held her close, fighting back her own tears as she welcomed the embrace.

"Thank you." Glimmer mumbled into her shoulder before pulling away.

"Good night Glimmer." Adora replied, turning around and heading towards her dorm as she stopped holding back and let her tears fall.

She quietly unlocked the door to her dorm and tried to quietly make her way to her bed without waking Mermista but evidently her attempts were unsuccessful when she heard the other girl speak.

"What the fuck are you doing up at this hour?" the other girl mumbled tiredly from her bed.

"I... I was at the hospital." Adora replied, her voice low as she sighed. "Bow died. He was in a car accident."

Suddenly her normally snarky roommate was crawling out of bed and making her way over to sit next to her on her bed as her tone changed, concern in her eyes as she wrapped an arm around her. "I'm so sorry, I had no idea. That's awful."

Adora sighed as she closed her eyes, picturing Bow's smiling face in her mind one last time. "I miss him so much." she said before Mermista turned on her bedroom light and went over to their kitchen as she began rummaging in their cupboard.

Mermista wasn't always the best with words or physical comfort but she always knew how to cheer Adora up with little things when she was sad. She pulled out a bag of microwavable popcorn and waved it in the air. "Popcorn?"

The blonde nodded as tears rolled down her cheeks and laid down in her bed. "Popcorn would be perfect right about now." she said softly.

/

The next couple days were especially quiet around the university. It was already emptier then normal considering most students had opted to go home for christmas break but ever since Bow's passing there had been a somber silence throughout the school. There were pictures and memorials hung up for him everywhere and at every meal in the cafeteria Adora would overhear someone mentioning his name. Bow had been popular before he passed away but he'd never been talked about this much.

Bow had been well liked by everyone who knew him. He was a good guy and he was friendly to everyone he met, always smiling and joking around. He had a warm gentle demeanor around him and even when someone tried to pick on him or antagonize him he'd always manage to shrug it off and find a way to still be kind. Of course he'd had his flaws such as how he could be a bit of a pushover at times or how he could be too friendly but all in all he was a genuinely good guy.

Adora felt her stomach churn as she stared at her breakfast in front of her as the chatter around her grew louder. Normally she ate her own food she kept in her dorm but lately she hadn't felt like doing any cooking so cafeteria food was better then nothing. But as of right now she didn't have an appetite for anything. She'd hardly been able to eat anything since Bow's passing which she knew wasn't good since she didn't want to fall back into old habits but she couldn't help it. The sight of food made her queazy and she'd had a hard time forcing herself to do anything. She was so busy trying to force a smile on her face and comfort everyone else around her who was mourning Bow's loss that she was neglecting her own needs.

She hadn't seen Glimmer at all since Bow's passing either. It wasn't a total surprise since she knew the other girl was somewhat of a loner and tended to keep to herself but a part of her had still expected to see her in passing maybe once or twice. She knew she barely knew her but she couldn't help but wonder if she was doing ok. She knew she sure as hell wasn't coping with things well.

She eventually managed to force herself to choke down half of the bowl of cheerios before she had to stop, feeling nauseous from the food as she closed her eyes. She'd eat more later but right now it was all too much. She stood up with her tray and threw out the rest of the cereal in the garbage, feeling somewhat ashamed for wasting food but knowing she had zero appetite at the moment.

She began her walk back upstairs to her dorm and paused at Glimmer's door when she reached the third floor. She debated about knocking for a split second before deciding against it and continuing on to her own dorm.

When Adora stepped inside her room she noticed Mermista was gone which wasn't entirely unusual since the other girl liked to go and hang out with her friends on a regular basis. Adora tried to relax on her bed and turned on the tv to try and distract herself but after ten minutes she gave up, her mind too distracted to focus on the tv.

She turned it off and rolled over onto her back as she sighed. Her mind kept wandering back to Glimmer and the urge to check on her kept growing stronger. Part of her felt bad that the other girl had no friends and she felt obligated to reach out to her in a way. But she also related to her struggles and understood the pain of being all alone. Sure now that she was an adult she was somewhat popular and had a decent amount of friends but when she was younger she only had Bow for a long time. Most of the time they were together but there were a few school years when he was in a completely seperate class then her and she was all on her own trying to make friends.

She felt like she should do something for her but she wasn't sure what. Her mind drifted to the thought of food and she found herself wondering if Glimmer had actually been able to eat much since Bow's passing. She sat up in bed as she remembered she had a large container of homemade frozen chicken noodle soup she'd made a week or so ago before Bow's passing. She'd made a large batch to freeze so she'd have some for a while but since the accident she hadn't had the appetite to eat any of it.

She began walking towards the kitchen as she dug out the container from the fridge and pulled out a metal pot, turning on the stove as she began thawing the soup out. She knew it wasn't much but she'd reheat some of the soup and bring it to Glimmer so she had one meal she didn't have to cook for herself. It was the least she could do.

It didn't take long for the stove to heat up and for her to reheat the soup to a nice hot temperature, she poured it in a heat proof plastic container and sealed it with a lid, grabbing a plastic spoon from her cupboard as she pulled the pot off the stove. She smiled to herself as she put her shoes on and walked down the hall with the bowl of soup in her hands.

She made her way to Glimmer's dorm and stopped in front of her door before knocking on it with her free hand. She waited for around three minutes in silence before she let out a sigh, assuming Glimmer either wasn't inside or wasn't going to answer. She turned around and was ready to walk back to her room when she heard the door creak open.

Glimmer poked her head out, her skin pale and dark bags under her eyes as she glanced over at Adora. "Oh hi Adora." she said somewhat sheepishly, running a hand through her dissheveled hair as she let out a nervous laugh.

Adora smiled at her as she extended the bowl of soup towards her. "Hey, I brought you some soup. I know I haven't been able to eat much these past few days and I thought you might be in the same boat as I am so I brought you some homemade soup."

A small smile crossed Glimmer's face as she took the bowl from her hands. "Thank you, that's so nice of you. Did you want to come inside? My dorm's a mess and I'm still in my pajamas but if you wanted to come in..."

"Sure!"

Glimmer nodded as she opened her door, rubbing the back of her neck as Adora stepped foot inside. "This is my dorm, I know it's a mess. Make yourself at home." she said nervously.

Adora glanced around the small dorm, taking in the sights as she walked into the center of her room. It was no bigger then her own dorm with just a small fridge, a counter with a small sink, a microwave and a small stove. There was a bed in one corner of her room and a small couch and tv sat across from it. It wasn't as messy as Glimmer had made it out to be with only a couple dishes sitting in the sink and a few blankets laying on the floor. Her walls were pretty much bare except for one photo of Glimmer and who she assumed must be her mother and a large flag with the bisexual pride colours.

'Interesting.' Adora thought to herself. She didn't know that Glimmer was bi. She'd assumed she was straight but evidently she'd jumped to conclusions too quickly.

"I know my dorm is pretty bare." Glimmer said half jokingly as she sat down on her couch with the bowl of soup in her hands. "You can sit down if you want, I was just watching a movie before you showed up."

"What movie were you watching?" Adora asked as she took a seat next to the shorter girl on the couch.

"Cinderella. It's an old favorite of mine."

"Oh I love that movie! I watched it all the time as a little girl."

"Well I'm only a couple minutes in so you didn't miss much! I'll rewind it to the start."

Time seemed to fly by as Adora settled into the couch and lost herself in the movie, humming along in her head to the songs she used to sing all the time in her childhood. Eventually the movie ended and as the credits were rolling Glimmer spoke.

"Thank you again Adora. For the soup and for just... coming over. It was nice, I needed some company."

Adora smiled at her as she pulled out a scrap of paper and a pen from her pocket and quickly scribbled something down before handing it to Glimmer. "It's no problem. I know you're only a couple dorms down from me but this is my number if you ever need anything."

"Thank you." Glimmer replied quietly, a small grin on her face. "I was going to watch another movie if you wanted to stay a while longer?"

"Sounds like fun, count me in."


	3. Chapter Three

It was the second day of January and Adora was standing outside in the bitter cold as she stared up at the funeral home before her. Today was Bow's funeral and quite frankly she was not at all ready for it.

She was just thankful it hadn't been the day before since she'd been completely hungover from the night before. Yes Adora and her roommate were both only 20 but Mermista had a 23 year old boyfriend who had supplied her with vodka and tequila. At first when Adora had been offered alcohol she resisted since after living with an alcoholic mother for several years it had turned her off of alcohol, out of fear she might wind up like the very woman who had abused her for most of her life. But in the end she gave in and wound up having a few drinks but not because she wanted to let loose and party.

No Adora had spent New Year's Eve all alone in her dorm, bottles of alcohol sitting in the fridge while Mermista texted her from the club her and her boyfriend Seahawk were out partying and drinking at. The only reason she had begun drinking was because she couldn't get Bow off of her mind and it was killing her.

Every time she left her dorm since his passing she was stopped by someone who had known him and wanted to talk about him or who would pester her with questions about what he'd thought of them since she was his best friend and surely she would know everything he felt about all the people he considered friends. Everywhere she went all she heard was Bow Bow Bow Bow Bow. She was already having a hard time coping with losing him on her own but now she had to comfort everyone else and reassure them that he had cared for them and viewed them as great people and that he missed them.

She couldn't take it, it was breaking her and she needed one night to stop thinking about him, not because she didn't miss him but because she missed him too much and she didn't know how much more she could take until she lost it. So she began drinking, she drank and drank until she was full on drunk. It didn't help much and she still broke down in tears when the clock struck midnight but eventually the alcohol made her mind go fuzzy and she was able to focus on something else for a short period of time even if she was drunk.

The next morning she'd woken up with a severe hangover but she had expected it before she started drinking. The hangover in and of itself was enough to make her vow to never drink again. And a good solid reason for her to start looking for a therapist so she didn't have to resort to extreme lengths to make it through the night.

It was freezing cold outside as she made her way towards the funeral home, pulling her coat tighter around herself as she tried to keep trudging forwards. She'd tried to look somewhat nice and so she'd let her hair down for once and had put on the nicest dress she owned, a glossy black dress that fell to her knees that had been a gift from Bow's dads. She hadn't worn it in forever and when she'd put it on and looked in the mirror she could hear Bow in her head telling her she looked amazing and it took all of her strength not to break down and cry.

She had been asked by his dads if she would speak at his funeral but she had to decline. She wanted to but she knew she couldn't handle it. She couldn't handle speaking to everyone and talking about how wonderful of a person he was without breaking down in tears. It was too much for her and yet it killed her that she wasn't able to speak at his funeral. She remembered joking around with Bow that whoever lived longer out of the two of them would have to give a speech at the other's funeral and they had pinky promised on it. She knew it was probably just a joke and that Bow more then likely hadn't taken it too seriously at the time but she couldn't help but feel guilty for breaking a promise to him. Thankfully his dads were extremely understanding about it all and didn't push her on the subject and for that she was extremely grateful.

She walked into the funeral home and couldn't help but stare at the huge number of people that swarmed the halls, all of them were here just for Bow. She knew he was well known by so many and loved by everyone he met but she hadn't realized just how many people were that close to him. She hung up her coats on one of the coat hangers in the lobby before making her way into the viewing area where everyone was slowly gathering.

Adora made her way down the row of benches which were mostly full already, up ahead of at the front was a large picture of Bow from his high school grad next to his casket which was open although she couldn't see him from where she stood, people were coming and going past his casket, some stopping to say their goodbyes while others simply glanced over and kept on walking.

Her eyes travelled across the room searching for George and Lance who had saved a seat for her before she finally spotted them in a row at the very front. A small smile crossed her face as she walked over to them and sat down beside them.

"Adora! We're so glad you could make it." Lance said, a warm smile on his face as he wrapped an arm around the girl in a brief hug.

"It's good to see you here. Thank you for coming." George piped in from beside Lance.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world. Thanks for saving me a seat."

The three made small chit chat for a few minutes before the couple were interrupted by other people wanting to share their condolences. Adora glanced over her shoulder to see if she could spot anyone else amongst the crowd of people she recognized. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted a tuft of pink hair and she immediately recognized who it was.

Glimmer was sitting all alone at the back of the viewing area all by herself with her face in her hands. Before Adora fully realized what she was doing she had stood up from her seat and next thing she knew she was beside Glimmer, her hand reaching out for her shoulder as the pink haired girl looked up at her, violet eyes full to the brim with tears as she sniffled.

"Do you want to come and sit with me? I'm sitting with George and Lance and I'm sure they wouldn't mind an extra person."

"I'm fine, don't worry about me." Glimmer said quietly, forcing a smile onto her face that did nothing to conceal her grief.

"Nobody deserves to be alone when they're grieving. Come sit with me, nobody will mind at all."

The shorter girl nodded as she stood up, smoothing down her dress as she took a deep breath in. "Thank you."

Adora smiled at her as she mentally observed her appearance. The girl's hair was neatly combed and she wore a black dress with long sleeves that fit close to her chest and had a skirt that flowed away and landed just above her knees. Adora hadn't noticed before but she had a nice figure, she wasn't thin but she wasn't fat either, she had a nice curvy figure that her dress amplified and made her look beautiful.

Adora had to shake herself out of her thoughts and remind herself that she was at a funeral for her best friend, it was not an appropriate time for her to be ogling up girls.

"Come, follow me. They're sitting in the second row." she said, gesturing for Glimmer to follow her as she walked towards their row. She stopped when she got to her row and Lance's face immediately lit up when he saw Glimmer.

"Glimmer, its so nice to see you!" he exclaimed as he stood up from his seat and enveloped the shorter girl in a tight hug. "Thank you so much for coming. Bow would have been so happy to know you came."

"Thank you Mr. Pearson." she muttered, pulling away as she smiled up at him.

It wasn't much long after that the funeral service officially started and everyone went quiet as George walked up on stage to give his speech.

"Thank you all for coming. It amazes me when I see just how many of you are here because of my son. It warms my heart to know he had such a huge impact on so many lives. Bow was my and Lance's first and only son. We adopted him when he was just a baby and he was the best child we could have ever asked for. He has always had such a big heart and he was kind and helpful to everyone he met. He was smart, brave, courageous, loving, soft spoken, funny, charming... Bow was so many things, if you asked me to describe him in just a few words I don't think I would be able to.

"Everyone who met Bow was drawn to him because of how welcoming and friendly he was. He made everyone feel at home and he always treated people well even when they weren't kind to him. He was generous and wore his heart on his sleeve. He treated everyone he cared about like they were worth more then gold and he always knew how to make a person feel good about themselves. He was such a good son to have, he did his chores without complaining and went above and beyond to help out. He always respected the rules and was a good kid who didn't act out. I'm so proud to have gotten the chance to be his father and I miss him more I can ever put into words.

"Bow left a huge hole in all of our hearts. It isn't everyday that you come across someone as genuine and tenderhearted as he was and I know that earth lost an angel on December 26. Thank you all for being here, I know wherever Bow is that he's looking down on all of us and smiling. I will miss him everyday until I myself die of old age and can see him once again. But until then I will keep his memory alive and I hope you all will do the same. Thank you." George finished, tears rolling down his cheeks as sobs echoed throughout the room.

Adora hadn't noticed she was crying until his speech was over, only then did she feel the hot tears dripping down her face. She felt a hand grab hers gently and she glanced over to see Glimmer's hand resting on hers as she stared at the front of the room with tears pouring down her cheeks.

A smile crossed Adora's face as she gripped her hand slightly and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Thank you." she whispered, choking back sobs as she felt a gentle squeeze from the other girl's hand in reply.

More and more people went up front to give their own speeches about Bow and how wonderful he was and throughout it all Adora's hand remained connected with Glimmer. She hardly knew this girl but yet she found a strange comfort in knowing they were feeling the same pain and even though Glimmer said nothing out loud Adora could tell that having a hand to hold was helping her make it through the service.

Eventually she felt the warm hand pull away from her own and she looked to see Glimmer standing up from her seat, Lance still standing at the front of the viewing room finishing his speech.

"And now I would like to invite Glimmer Diaz to the front to present a speech she prepared on Bow's life." he announced before stepping aside to make room.

Glimmer made her way up to the front, her body trembling as she positioned herself. Adora was honestly surprised. Glimmer seemed to be the shy type and she hadn't pictured her to be one for public speaking. Even Glimmer's hands were shaking as she closed her eyes and began to speak.

"Hello everyone. I'm not good at speaking in front of crowds so please bare with me." she said, her voice nervous and shaky as she spoke. "Bow was my boyfriend. We were only for together for less then two months and I'd barely known him a total of three months before he passed but he still had a huge impact on my life.

"Bow was an amazing guy. He always made me feel good about myself and put a smile on my face every time I saw him. He made me happy and helped me have the courage to try new things I never would have done before. He made me feel like I was worth the world to him and he brought so much light and positivity to my life. Before I met Bow I wasn't in a good place and just having him in my life helped me so much.

"He was so kind towards everyone and I know he wanted to do good things with his life. He wanted to become a college professor and his dream was to move to Africa, specifically Zimbabwe, and teach English over there while also helping out in the community. He was just such a good guy and I really cared a lot about him. I'm so thankful I met him, he changed my life in such a short period of time and I know he's done the same for everyone else in this room. I'm really really going to miss him but I know I'm not alone. Like George said earlier I will continue to keep his memory alive, I didn't know him for long but I will never forget him." she finished, her eyes shining with tears as she stepped away and began walking back to her seat.

When she sat down next to Adora the blonde gave her a huge tear filled smile. "That was beautiful." she whispered.

"Thank you." Glimmer replied quietly, sniffling as she brushed away her tears.

Before long the service was over and everyone was given one last chance to say their goodbyes if they so wished. Glimmer and Adora wound up going up front together for support after a silent mutual agreement and the pink haired girl was the first to say her goodbyes.

She bent down next to his lifeless body and placed a hand on his cheek. "Thank you for everything." she said quietly before planting a quick peck on his forehead and walking away before her tears could resume.

Adora couldn't help but cry as soon as she saw his body and she gently reached out to touch his hand. "I miss you so much Bow. You were the best friend I could have ever asked for. I'm looking out for Glimmer for you just like I told you I would. I love you." she said, running her thumb along his hand before breaking down in tears.

As soon as she stepped away from the casket she felt a pair of arms wrap around her in a hug and she didn't even have to question who it was. She let her tears flow freely as she began sobbing uncontrollably, her body shaking violently as she cried. "Thank you." she whispered as she felt the other's tears dripping onto her own shoulder.

"No, thank you."

/

The days passed by slowly after Bow's funeral and Adora didn't see Glimmer once. Classes were starting back up in a matter of days and she was not ready. She still found herself being hounded by countless people everyday asking her about Bow but she'd started to grow numb to it. She felt like people weren't really seeing her as Adora anymore and just as Bow's best friend. She couldn't do anything to stop it and so she just let it happen and her responses became almost robotic since the questions were the same every time.

Then only two days before classes began she got a text from an unknown number.

'Hey Adora, it's Glimmer. I never gave you my number before when you gave me yours.'

Adora smiled at her phone as she shot back a quick response.

'Hey, good to hear from you. :) What's up?'

'I could use someone to talk to, it's really important. Are you free right now?'

'Yeah I am. Did you want to meet up for coffee?'

'Sure that sounds good. Thank you so much, I really appreciate it.'

Adora typed out a location and time for them to meet before shutting off her phone, her mind running wild as to what Glimmer could possibly want to talk to her about. It sounded serious but yet she couldn't figure out what someone she barely knew would be comfortable talking to her about. She shrugged it off, figuring it was probably just her needing to vent about Bow and she set out to clean her dorm a bit before heading out.

When it was time to head out she grabbed her warmest jacket she had and bundled up before heading out to the harsh winter cold. Thankfully the coffee shop she'd suggested was only a five minute drive from campus although she couldn't help feeling bad for not offering a ride to Glimmer, imagining the girl walking in the harsh winter cold to the coffee shop.

When she arrived at the coffee shop it didn't take long for her to spot Glimmer at the back of the shop. She gave her a quick wave before turning around to get in line and order her drink. She ordered a small chai latte and within minutes it was ready. She thanked the barista with a warm smile before making her way over to where Glimmer was sitting.

She sat down with her drink and noticed the other girl was staring down at the table with stress written all over her face as a full cup of hot chocolate sat untouched next to her. "Hey, sorry if I kept you waiting."

Her words seemed to startle the other girl as her head shot up. "Oh hi. Sorry I didn't notice you were here."

"No worries. You seem stressed, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"I... I don't know how to say this. It still doesn't feel real and I don't know what to do. I'm scared to even say it to be honest." she admitted, her voice quiet as her hands began to tremble.

Adora's smile faltered as a wave of concern washed over her. "What's going on? You can trust me. I know you don't know me very well but hopefully the fact that I was Bow's best friend means something to you."

"That's one of the main reasons why I feel comfortable telling you." Glimmer admitted. "But I'm still scared, not of telling you because I know you wouldn't hurt me. But it feels like saying it out loud will make it real and I don't want this to be real."

"Take your time ok? I'm not pushing you to tell me anything, when you're ready you can tell me."

Glimmer went quiet as she stared at the table, fiddling with her fingers for as she fought back tears before eventually she let out a sigh. "Ok." she said quietly. "I... I'm pregnant with Bow's child."

With those few words Adora felt her world turn upside down and suddenly she knew her promise to Bow meant more then she'd originally thought.


	4. Chapter Four

Adora swear she felt her jaw drop as her mind struggled to process the words she'd just heard. "You're pregnant? Do you know for sure?"

Glimmer shrugged, her body still shaking as her hands grasped her mug of hot chocolate for something to hold onto. "I'm pretty sure I am. Me and Bow... we only had sex twice but we used protection both times! But I've been throwing up everyday for a week now and my period is late and so I bought three pregnancy tests and they all came back positive." she said, her voice cracking as tears welled up in her eyes. "I'm so scared, I'm not ready for this."

"Hey it's ok, I'm sure everything will be fine." Adora said quietly, attempting to sound soothing as she gave Glimmer a small smile. "Have you been to a doctor to find out for sure?"

"No but I have a doctor's appointment booked for tomorrow morning." she replied, her voice shaky as she stared into her cup, the beverage now cold after sitting for so long. "I just don't know what I'll do if I am pregnant and its looking more and more like I am."

"Would you keep the baby or would you consider an abortion or...?"

"I don't know. I wouldn't be able to handle having an abortion but I don't know if I'm ready to have a child of my own and be a mom. But I also don't know if I could carry a child for nine months and then give him or her away as soon as they're born, I'd feel like I'm giving away a piece of Bow and... I just don't know. I can't even think straight, this is all just too much."

"Just try and calm down, you have time to think things through and figure out what's best for you, there's no rush."

"But there is a rush! If I get an abortion it has to be before a certain point in the pregnancy, if I give the baby up then I need to start finding an adoption agency and filling out papers and meeting potential families and if I keep the child I should be looking for a second job and my own place so I can raise my child! I just... I don't have time to wait and hope everything sorts itself out. I need to make a decision quickly and I don't know how I'm supposed to know what the right decision is."

Glimmer was crying now, her hands gripping onto the mug so tight Adora swore it would break. Adora wanted to break down at the sight of seeing her so distressed, she'd always cared deeply for others but she couldn't handle seeing others in pain. Whenever she saw someone who was hurting it broke her inside and she would inevitably use all her strength to try and help them.

And here she was, her heart aching in her chest as the other girl's sobs echoed in her head, the desire to help her strong and persistent. Within seconds she'd reached out and clasped her hands in her own, squeezing them as she tried to offer a comforting smile, forcing herself to stay strong and not break down in tears. "I'm here for you. If you need someone to talk to just let me know. You will get through this. I want to help you, I want to be there for you."

Glimmer sniffled, staring down at their hands intertwined together as their eyes met. "Thank you Adora but why are you doing so much for me? You hardly know me and yet you've been doing so much for me. I guess I just don't understand why that is." she said, pulling her hands away as she wrapped her arms around herself.

Adora paused as she stopped to consider her words. She didn't want to tell Glimmer about how she'd promised Bow she'd look after because she was worried that Glimmer might feel like Adora was only being kind towards her out of a feeling of obligation. And while the promise had been the initial reason behind her reaching out, there was so much more to it now. Adora understood Glimmer, she understood what she was going through and she knew how it felt to be all alone. And Glimmer just seemed so genuine. She wasn't like the others who just wanted Adora to tell them whether Bow liked them or not, she hadn't asked for reassurement about his feelings or pestered her constantly with questions and wanting to talk about Bow all day every day. She hadn't asked her to bring her soup or to comfort her at Bow's funeral. The few moments she had spent time with her she'd seen a kind tender hearted girl under the surface and she wanted to get to know her more, she wanted to be her friend not out of pity but because she liked her and felt a connection to her.

"I don't know, I guess I just understand what you're going through and I feel like you're the only person who hasn't been using me just to get answers about Bow. I don't know you well but you're nice and genuine and I like talking to you. I was Bow's best friend and you were his girlfriend, we were two of the closest people in his life. I want to get to know you more but I also want to be there for you because I know how hard losing Bow has been and I think we understand each other's grief more then anyone else can." she replied as images of Bow floated through her mind. "I'd like to be your friend if you want that too."

Glimmer smiled at her, brushing her tears away as she took a small sip from her drink. "Yes, I would like that." she said quietly. "I just... I've never really had a lot of friends. I was home schooled up until grade twelve when I finally went to public school but everyone already had their friend groups and I had a hard time talking to people and making friends. And university hasn't been much better. I guess I'm not used to people wanting to get to know me, Bow was the first one who ever actually tried to break down my walls and befriend me."

"I totally get that, Bow was my first friend and I had an extremely hard time making other friends in school."

"Really? You just seem so...outgoing?"

Adora chuckled. "Me, outgoing? No not really. Everyone thinks I must have been the popular kid in school or the school athlete and I wasn't either of those things. Sure I did school basketball for like half a year but I really sucked at making friends. I didn't know how to open up. I was too cold to everyone who tried to talk to me. Now I have a few friends but back then it was really tough for me."

"I guess I jumped to conclusions." Glimmer replied, giggling softly as she relaxed into her seat, the stress slowly fading from her face as she smiled. "Thank you, talking about something else has really taken my mind off of... well everything."

"I'm glad I could help, talking is sometimes the best medicine!"

"True... I just don't know what to do moving forward, I just wish I'd never gotten into this situation in the first place." Glimmer said, her smile fading back into a frown as she nervously tapped her foot on the floor. "If I'd never gotten pregnant I wouldn't have to worry about having an abortion or whether or not I'm keeping the baby... I just wish Bow was here. I know you're on my side but I just wish he was here to help me make the right decision."

"Is there anyone else you can ask for advice like maybe your mom?"

Glimmer shook her head. "No, my mom is very old fashioned and she would be very upset if she knew I'd gotten pregnant by a boy I'd been dating for less then two months. I love her but she has a lot of traditional beliefs and I know she'd push me to keep the baby and I don't know if that's what I want yet or not. I'll tell her eventually but she's not my first option to go to for advice."

"Well what about your dad? Can you ask him for advice?"

Glimmer's face fell and Adora immediately knew she must have hit a sensitive topic. "My dad is... well he's dead." she muttered, staring at the ground as she sighed.

"Glimmer I'm so sorry, I didn't k-"

"Please don't apologize, it's not your fault. I don't really talk about him at all so I can't blame you for not knowing. He died when I was two from lung cancer so I never really knew him. I still miss him though but its hard when I don't remember him at all. It's almost like I miss the idea of having a dad rather then him since I don't remember anything about him except for his face based off the pictures my mom had hanging up in our house."

'So that explains why she only had a picture of her and her mom up in her dorm." Adora thought to herself. "I'm sorry, I know exactly what that's like. Both my parents died when I was less then a year old. I don't remember them at all and I don't even have any pictures of them. I want to miss them but it's hard since I was too young to remember anything."

Glimmer gave her a small half smile as she laughed. "I guess we have a lot in common."

"I guess we do, huh?"

The two continued to chat for a while, distracting themselves from the issue at hand by talking about school, their home life and the likes. Before Adora knew it it was already almost 5 PM and the two had to go their seperate ways for the evening.

"Thanks for meeting me here." Glimmer said as she stood up from her seat, smoothing out her jacket in the process.

"No problem, I was looking for something to do today anyways. Let me know what happens at your doctor's appointment tomorrow morning, ok?"

Glimmer nodded. "I'll let you know. Maybe it was all just a fluke and I'm not actually pregnant. I'll see you around."

"Bye, I'll see you around!"

With that Adora headed off back to campus where Mermista and Seahawk were waiting for her in her dorm. The two had the tv on and cranked up as loud as it could go while Seahawk was raving about some wild story that Adora just did not have the energy to listen to.

She popped in her earbuds and turned on some music as she pulled out her laptop, the first thing she typed into the search bar being 'Therapists in Bright Moon area'. She really needed someone to talk to about everything she was going through before she broke down.

The next morning when she woke up her first reaction was to grab her phone and check to see if she had any texts. When she saw the first text in her notifications her heart sank.

'I just got back from the doctors. It's official, I'm pregnant.'-Glimmer

/

The next couple days went by in a blur and before Adora knew it classes were starting back up again. She hadn't seen Glimmer at all since she broke the news to her and even on their first day back she didn't spot her anywhere in the halls. She couldn't help wondering if she was doing ok but she was too busy to take a second to reach out.

Once classes were over she had to run up to her dorm and grab her uniform for work seeing as she had a five hour shift ahead of her. Adora worked at a local grocery store that was across the street from their campus and she'd worked there ever since her first year at university. The staff were all kind and she had a good boss who had let her take time off when Bow passed away.

This was her first day back at work and part of her was relieved to have something to take her mind off Bow for a while. The first couple hours passed slowly since it was fairly quiet throughout the store which wasn't a huge surprise. Being a small independent grocery store their prices were higher then most of the bigger companies and people tended to stick to the stores they knew best.

It was hard for Adora to entertain herself during the periods where she went half an hour without a single customer. Often she'd resort to trying to read the headlines of the magazines across from her or counting the packs of gum on the shelf.

She was practically bored out of her mind when she heard the sound of something being placed down on the conveyor belt. She pulled her eyes away from the magazines to see Glimmer standing there, placing a bag of mangos and a bottle of ginger ale on the conveyor belt.

A smile grew on Adora's face as she waved at her. "Hey nice to see you!"

Glimmer looked up at her and grinned, bags under her eyes that made it evident she had been struggling to sleep. "Hey! I didn't realize you worked here but when I saw you I knew I had to come through your line up."

"Well I'm glad since I've had nothing to do the past half hour." Adora groaned as she scanned the bag of mangos. "You're only buying two things?"

Glimmer nodded as a small blush creeped its ways onto her cheeks. "Yeah... I've just been having... cravings I guess. I already have food in my dorm but you get what I'm saying." she said nervously as Adora scanned the bottled drink.

"Hey don't be embarassed, you can't help it!" the blonde replied as Glimmer pulled out her wallet to pay. "How are you handling everything?"

"Not very well, I've had a hard time sleeping and this morning sickness isn't helping. I'm just trying to make it by and keep going."

"If you need anything just shoot me a text alright?"

The shorter girl nodded as she grabbed her bag, flashing a small smile at her. "Thank you Adora, I'll see you later."

Adora smiled as she walked off before turning around to see four people coming into her line. She let out a small sigh as she began scanning items. At least she would have something to occupy her mind with.


	5. Chapter Five

Adora sighed as she stared at her textbook, Mermista droning on in the background about her shitty day at work and how working as a barista was 'like totally the worst job ever'. Adora loved Mermista, she truly did but sometimes she wished she had a different roommate.

But then again they had been together since her freshmen year at university and despite how snarky and uninterested she could be at times, she was a good friend and was a good person to rant to whenever something was troubling her.

Although right about now she wished she would shut up so she could concentrate.

"Mermista I'm really sorry you had a bad day but can you please tone it down a notch? I need to get this assignment done for tomorrow and I can't focus."

Mermista rolled her eyes. "Wow rude." she said before taking a sip from her latte. "Whatever, I'm going to go find Seahawk. At least he always wants to know about my day."

The blonde groaned internally as she watched her roommate sulk out of her room, slamming the door behind her as Adora sunk back onto her bed. Evidently she'd pissed the other girl off but she knew it would pass and she'd probably be back around 9 PM with a bucket of fried chicken and a stash of beer (plus a bottle of orange crush for Adora). She never stayed mad for long and Seahawk always calmed her down. Come to think of it the reason why he always wanted to listen to her was probably due to the fact that he was obsessed with her, a fact Mermista was well aware of yet she still loved her nutjob of a boyfriend regardless.

Adora returned her focus to her textbook where she was reading up on the different muscles in a human body, she had to do an assignment on different kinds of muscles and what injuries were the most common and what was the most effective method of treating them. Shockingly it was harder then it seemed.

She made it around a quarter of the way through before throwing her hands in the air in frustration, mentally cursing at herself for picking such a hard field of study. Why hadn't she just stuck with basketball in high school and maybe she could have eventually become a pro basketball player? She couldn't help but laugh at the thought, snorting through her chuckles as she tried to imagine herself in a professional basketball league. The idea was just so strange and foreign and unrealistic.

She tried to focus her attention back to her work when her phone vibrated loudly beside her on her pillow. Immediately she lost her focus as she swooped her phone up, unlocking it as she noticed a text from Glimmer at the top of her screen and a smile lit up on her face.

Her and Glimmer had been chatting quite a bit recently since classes had started back up. She hadn't seen her around school much since the two had completely different schedules but they'd still been texting a fair amount which had contributed to Adora's procrastinating on schoolwork although she didn't mind (even though she really should).

She opened the text and read it, adjusting herself on her bed as schoolwork became the last thing on her mind.

'Hey, sorry to bother you but do you have time to come over for a bit? If you're busy don't worry about it.'- Glimmer

Adora paused, glancing over at her schoolwork as she debated between choosing the responsible option versus going with what she wanted. In the end the responsible option did not win.

'Yeah I can come over, I just gotta finish something up then I'll be there in 5.'-Adora

'Thanks, see you soon.'- Glimmer

Adora neatly tucked her textbook and work sheet under her pillow as she straightened out her clothes. She knew she should feel guilty for blowing off homework but she was already at a decent grade in her class anyways and besides she could just head out to one of those late night cafes afterwards and study there until she was finished.

She marched out of her dorm and down the hall to Glimmer's dorm. She knocked on her door and within a minute the door opened. She had expected to walk in and see Glimmer smiling, asking her if she wanted to watch a movie or play a game seeing as that was normally what the two had wound up doing each time Adora came over during the past week. Instead the shorter girl was crying, her body shaking as she forced a smile onto her face. It shouldn't have shocked Adora to see her so upset considering the circumstances yet it still did.

"Glimmer what's wrong?" Adora asked, closing the door behind her as she pulled the shorter girl into her arms, rubbing her back gently as Glimmer cried.

"I...I decided to get an abortion." Glimmer whispered, shuddering as Adora's grip tightend around her. "It's happening saturday morning."

"Do you want me to come with you? I don't work saturday and I'd be happy to come with you if you need some support."

Glimmer nodded into her shoulder and Adora sighed as she closed her eyes. She knew Glimmer would have had to make a decision sooner or later and none of the choices were easy ones. Each option had it's own sacrifices and burdens that came along with it and Adora knew that if she was in Glimmer's shoes she wouldn't be able to make a decision.

"It's going to be ok, I'm proud of you for making a decision. I know it wasn't easy. You will get through this."

Adora spent the next two hours in Glimmer's dorm, curled up on her couch as an old disney movie played on her tv, a bowl of popcorn sitting between the two of them as Glimmer rested her head against the arm of the couch, wrapped up in a blanket as she tried to stay awake.

By the time the movie was almost over Adora remembered that she still had homework to do and panic set it. "Shit I just remembered I have an assignment due tomorrow. Let me know what time your appointment is on saturday alright? I'll be there."

Glimmer nodded from beneath her blankets, yawning as she gave her a tired smile. "Thank you Adora." she whispered. "And thanks for coming over."

"No problem, I'll see you saturday."

Adora rushed to her dorm to grab her work sheet and textbook along with her laptop, not bothering to say hello to Mermista who was sitting on her bed with a bucket of fried chicken as she'd predicted. The blue haired girl had offered her a drumstick but Adora was in too much of a rush to care about food.

It wasn't long before she arrived at her favorite place to study, a quiet little coffee shop that was open twenty four hours with free wi-fi. She bought herself a small coffee and a blueberry muffin before settling down in the corner of the coffee shop, pulling out her work as she tried to resume focus.

Eventually she found herself pulling out her laptop and once again found herself googling local therapists in her area. As it turned out it was extremely hard to find a therapist in Bright Moon that specialized in PTSD, past eating disorder issues, grief and was under $100 an hour. Adora groaned as she slammed the computer shut.

Money was tight for her even with her part time job. She was paying for university through student loans which were expensive to pay back plus she had car payments to make and she was saving up for her own apartment, not because she disliked Mermista but because she could use her own space. Any extra money she had went to the occasional meal out or getting food for their dorm and gas for her car. She was practically broke and the only therapists that specialized in everything she needed were almost $300 an hour.

She sighed as she stared down at her paper, hand in her hair as she tried to force herself to stay awake. She was always trying to help everyone else and be there for them but why was it so hard to find someone to help her with her own issues?

/

Saturday arrived quicker then expected and of course when Adora woke up that morning there was a raging snow storm outside. How fitting that on the day Glimmer chose to go and have an abortion that there would be a nasty storm at the same time?

She made sure to bundle up in her warmest clothes before heading out, grabbing her bulkiest jacket as she glanced back at a snoring Mermista who had drool coming out of the corner of her mouth. She smirked before grabbing her bag and leaving her dorm.

She'd offered Glimmer a ride so the girl wouldn't have to bus it there in the crappy weather and the second she stepped outside her dorm she noticed the shorter girl standing at the end of the hall, waiting outside her dorm with her hands in her coat pockets.

"Hey Glimmer." Adora said as she walked up to her. "Are you ready?"

Glimmer shrugged, a frown on her face as she buried her hands deeper in her pockets. "I guess I am? I just want to get it over with before I can back out and change my mind." she muttered.

"You can do this, if you think this is what's best for you then trust your judgement. If it's too much for you you know you can always back out."

"I know, I just..." the pink haired girl started before trailing off, letting out a frustrated sigh. "Let's just go." she huffed, taking off down the stairs as Adora followed behind her.

They made their way outside where Adora's car was parked and the two climbed in, anxious to get out of the freezing cold. It was still snowing heavily and Adora could only hope that the roads weren't too slippery.

The drive to the clinic was quiet despite Adora's attempts at putting some tunes on and trying to distract Glimmer with friendly chit chat. Glimmer was silent the entire ride and every time Adora managed to sneak a quick look at her she swore she saw tears glistening in her eyes. Eventually they made it there and Adora found a parking spot easily.

She parked and turned the car off, looking over at Glimmer as she offered her a small smile. "We're here, are you ready for this?"

Glimmer shook her head. "To be honest I'm not ready. But this is what's best so... I just gotta push through and do it." she replied, forcing a smile onto her face as she stepped out of the car, snow practically up to her ankles as she walked.

They made their way inside where it was virtually empty except for around three young girls who were seated in the waiting room alone. Glimmer took a shaky breath in before making her way up to the receptionist.

"Hi, I'm Glimmer Diaz. I have an appointment." she said quietly.

The receptionist glanced up at her as she gave her a small smile before typing something into her computer. "Just have a seat dear. Your name will be called shortly."

Glimmer took a seat next to Adora who had already grabbed a seat by the entrance where she was scrolling through her phone. Adora briefly looked up from her phone, glancing over at her friend.

"How did it go? Do you know how long you'll have to wait?"

Glimmer sighed as she shook her head. "No she just said it will be soon." she muttered, grabbing a magazine from the table beside her as she began mindlessly flipping through the pages.

"Just hang in there." Adora replied, trying to sound optimistic as she let the conversation die off, well aware that Glimmer wasn't in a chatty mood and it was best to give her some space. She quietly returned her attention to her phone, browsing social media to try and pass the time.

She didn't know how long it had been when she heard Glimmer getting up from her seat. She stretched her arms over her head, putting her phone in her pocket as she looked over at her friend, assuming she'd been called up for her appointment and it was time to go get it done.

But her eyes widened when she realized her friend was already gone from her seat and she was bolting out the door. Adora jumped up from her seat as she took off running after her, the harsh cold freezing her body as she ran outside, trying to pull her coat closer to herself as she ran.

"Glimmer!" she shouted, running as fast as her feet could carry her through the thick snow but Glimmer did not stop. Adora's heart was racing as she tried to push herself to go faster, worrying like mad as she tried to catch up to her friend who had just passed the corner. "Glimmer, wait!"

She kept running, her feat thundering through the snow as Glimmer showed no signs of stopping. "Glimmer!"

The pink haired girl stumbled on a patch of ice and let out a loud scream as she fell to the ground, her face slamming into the ice as Adora picked up her pace.

"Glimmer!"

Adora was now at her side crouching down on her knees as her hands grabbed her shoulders, helping her sit up as thin stream of blood trickled down the side of her face. Glimmer was sniffling and crying, her body trembling as Adora tried to force herself to remain calm.

"What happened? Are you alright?"

"I.. I'm sorry, I just couldn't do it." Glimmer mumbled through tears as Adora pulled her into a hug.

"It's ok just don't take off like that again, you really scared me." Adora whispered, letting her tears fall as she held her close. "Let's just go back to campus, we can talk more there. Does that sound good?"

The shorter girl nodded wordlessly into her shoulder as Adora helped her stand up, pulling her close to her with one arm wrapped around her shoulders so she wouldn't fall as she led her to her car, Glimmer still shaking violently as they walked.

The drive back to campus was silent except for the sound of Glimmer's muffled sobs as she tried to pull her scarf tighter around herself. Adora wished there was something she could say but she didn't want to push her friend to speak until she was ready.

When they made it back to Glimmer's dorm the first thing Adora did was insist she sit down on the couch as she helped clean her cut for her.

"Adora, you don't have to do this, I can take care of it myself." the pink haired girl protested as Adora wiped a damp cloth over the cut, letting out a quiet whimper of pain as the cloth touched the opening.

"Sorry sorry I'm trying to be gentle." the blonde said softly as she lowered her pressure on the cut. "I just want to help you, I can tell you're pretty stressed out. Do you want to talk about what happened?"

Glimmer sighed. "I guess I just... I couldn't go through with it. I was sitting there in the waiting room thinking about how this is my child and how it's Bow's child and this is his one and only child. He's already dead and I couldn't kill his only child... I know there's more to it then that but the more I thought about it the more panicked I got and something in me just snapped. I shouldn't have taken off running but I just wasn't thinking."

"Glimmer it's alright, you scared the hell out of me though. I know you're dealing with a lot of stress but I guess now you know that an abortion isn't the right option for you?"

The other girl shrugged. "Yeah I guess although now that leaves me with adoption or keeping my child. Both options are equally scary."

Adora gave her a small smile as she finished wiping up the dried blood, taking a seat beside her on her couch. "You'll figure something out, I believe in you. And I'm here for you."

"Thank you Adora you've been a good friend to me. I appreciate it."

Adora felt a warm feeling creep it's way into the pit of her stomach as questions began fluttering around inside her head. Why was she doing so much for this girl? Why did she care so much? Why was she willing to run after her in deep snow to make sure she was alright? Why was she risking her own mental health just to support her?

She mentally shrugged it off as she told herself it was because she had been Bow's girlfriend so the two shared the same loss. She shoved the questions to the back of her mind because that's all it was right? Just two girls brought together by a mutual loss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys liked this chapter! I meant to upload last night but after I saved the document it deleted 1000 words from the chapter so I had to rewrite the last part today. I know it's probably a bit boring but I'm trying to make it a slow burn so the progression of their relationship feels more natural. It will get more interesting as chapters go on. Thank you for taking the time to read and I hope you enjoy!


	6. Chapter Six

If there was one thing Adora could change about her university it would be the free food they provided for breakfast. The food they offered for lunch and supper was mediocre and she was thankful for the free food but the breakfast was always trash. Soggy flavorless pancakes, sausages soaked with grease, juice that tasted a bit off, mushy fruit, stale bread, plain bagels with the weirdest tasting margarine and only the brands of cereal that contained the most sugar.

She sighed as she stared at the apple in her hand, it was the only semi decent thing she'd been able to pick out and so that was her breakfast. She knew she should be eating more and she could hear Mermista's voice in her head nagging her to eat more food so she didn't waste away since her roommate had a habit of doing that after finding out about her past issues but there was no way she was going to force herself to choke down her school's garbage.

She glanced around the cafeteria as she munched on her apple, she didn't have class for half an hour which gave her a little bit of time to herself. Mermista was still sound asleep in the dorm since she could never be bothered to wake up early for breakfast, occasionally she'd make it down in time for the last fifteen minutes but more often then not she slept right through it since she valued her beauty sleep too much. Thankfully Adora was more of a morning person so waking up early was easy for her.

She was thankful that recently the questions and constant chit chat about Bow were dying off. It was a relief to her since it helped her stop thinking about him all the time but it was also sad at the same time since it was evident that everyone had just started talking about him all the time because he was dead. Now almost a month after his death the whole thing has worn off and people were forgetting about him, moving onto the next latest hot topic to discuss with everyone.

She was lost in her thoughts scrolling through her phone, replying to some text's from old friends who had wanted to check in with her before she heard someone sit down next to her and she felt a hand grab her wrist.

"Hey Adora."

Adora felt her blood run cold as she looked up into familiar blue eyes that were icey cold, a devlish grin on the girl's face as she cackled. "Catra please leave me the hell alone, you aren't my friend anymore."

The brunette's face fell as she faked a tear rolling down the side of her face before bursting into chuckles. "Oh Adora I was just stopping by to say hi. What's the harm in that?" she asked, faking a sickly sweet voice as she plastered an innocent smile on her face.

Adora had a very complicated past with Catra. She'd met her at school when she was 15, she'd seen her around occasionally since the brunette was on the school's gymnastic team and she had seen her performing with them multiple times but never knew her name. Then she bumped into her one day and the two quickly hit it off and became friends. She bonded to Catra quickly when she learned she was also a foster child from a broken home who was now stuck with a toxic foster family, living with a mother that was extremely abusive and a dad who was never around. Adora felt drawn to her and their shared trauma brought the two closer together.

But when Adora was 16 and just starting to question if she was gay, she confided her feelings in Catra, looking for someone else to confide in aside from Bow. Catra had proceeded to respond by telling her she was also a lesbian and that she'd had feelings for her for months. This led to the two making out on Adora's bed before the brunette pulled away, laughing her head off as she told her she was straight and was just messing with her. Adora's heart was crushed and she was humiliated yet she kept forcing herself to still be her friend despite her actions.

Over the months Catra would lead her on on multiple occasions, each time Adora believing her because she was her friend and because she wanted to believe she was being honest and some part of her did have feelings for the other girl. But every time resulted in the same old story, Catra laughing in her face as Adora tried to hold back tears. Eventually she started trying to distance herself from the brunette but every time she did she would get harassed with dozens of nasty texts, threatening to hurt her or Bow and calling her names and saying she was a horrible friend. Every time Adora believed her and would run back to her begging for forgiveness.

Until she was talking to Bow one day and broke down in tears in front of him, confiding in him everything that had been going on and asking him for advice on what to do. She had genuinely believed she was in the wrong and everything was her fault when he pointed out to her how manipulative Catra was being and that she needed to cut her off as soon as possible. It took a lot of convincing and a lot of tears but eventually Adora managed to block her on everything and the next day when she went to school and Catra approached her at lunch, screaming and cussing at her, Bow jumped in between them and told her to back the fuck off.

Adora hadn't seen Catra around much during her last few years at high school although occasionally the girl would make a new social media account to message her or she'd try and approach her during the daytime but the blonde had grown thick skin and she was able to stand up for herself and tell her to leave her alone. She'd thought come university she wouldn't have to see her again since Catra was going to a different school but then now in her third year she had decided to transfer to the same university she was at.

She had heard that Catra had done the exact same shit to another girl at their school, Scorpia, a girl Adora shared a few classes and who she knew was a lesbian. She had been led on by Catra multiple times and she had been manipulated and threatened just like what had happened to Adora. Eventually she'd also cut her off and now she was dating an old friend of Adora's from high school, her old basketball teammate Lonnie who was a friend of hers she still occasionally hung out with.

Catra hadn't tried to mess with Adora in months yet here she was, smirking at her as she dug her nails into her wrist, Adora shaking as she tried to pull her arm away from her grasp.

"Let go of me Catra." she hissed, yanking her arm away as the other girl frowned. "We're not friends, leave me alone."

"What's a matter? Are you just scared because you don't have Bow here to protect you anymore?"

Adora's eyes darkened as she stood up, prepared to start cussing her out if she didn't stop pushing her buttons. "I can stand up for myself, Bow was not my savior. Now go away."

"I don't have to, I'm allowed to talk to people here you know? You've always been a bitch though, can't be nice to me for one second out of your miserable life. I shouldn't have expected anything better from you." Catra replied in a mocking voice before breaking out into fits of laughter.

Adora was about to respond when she heard footsteps from behind her and within seconds Mermista was standing between the two of them, pure anger written all over her face as she shoved Catra to the side.

"Leave Adora alone." she growled, raising her fist as a look of fear replaced Catra's smug grin.

The brunette shrunk back, stepping away as she raised her hands in surrender. "Fine, you fucking bitch. Good riddance." she muttered before taking off towards the opposite end of the cafeteria.

Adora breathed a sigh of relief as she sat back down at the table, giving her friend a grateful smile. "Thank you Mermista, she wouldn't leave me alone."

"Whatever. I just happened to show up at the right time, no big deal. Besides you know I love any opportunity I can get to wipe that stupid smirk off her face." she replied before glancing over at the apple in her roommate's hand. "Ugh are you seriously eating just an apple? How many times do I have to tell you to eat more?"

"Sorry but you know how awful the food here is!" Adora protested, Mermista rolling her eyes in response.

"I know it's literal garbage but you still gotta eat."

"I'll eat more at lunch, fine?"

"Whatever, do what you want."

Adora couldn't help but roll her eyes at her roommate as she continued eating, listening as she ranted about how terrible she slept the night before and she was only up in time for breakfast because Seahawk called her phone eight times and she couldn't fall back asleep when it was constantly vibrating.

Eventually it was time for Adora to pack up and head to her first class of the day, shoving her phone in her pocket as she gathered up her binder in her arms. She made her way to the exit when she spotted a familar tuft of pink hair.

"Glimmer!" she called out.

The shorter girl spun around as a smile grew on her face. "Hey!"

"How are you?"

"I'm doing good, I'm not ready for class though." Glimmer replied, glancing down at the books in her arm as she sighed. "I saw you earlier but I didn't want to approach you, it looked like some girl was bothering you though. Is everything alright?"

Adora shrugged. "Yeah everything is fine. She's just someone from my past who I'm not on good terms with."

"Old friend?"

"Yeah, kind of although there's more to it then that. It's complicated." she replied before pulling out her phone to check the time. "Shit I'm going to be late for class!"

Glimmer's eyes widened as she glanced down at her stuff in her arms. "You're right, I should get going." she said, turning to walk off before pausing. "Do you want to walk together?"

Adora smiled at her, a warm tight feeling in her chest as she nodded. "Sure, let's go." she said quietly as the two began walking side by side, sunlight cascading over them through the windows as they walked, laughing and smiling like they weren't in a war with their own inner demons.

/

"You landed on Go To Jail, get going."

Adora let out a grunt of frustration as she moved the little boot figurine to the jail section of the board, Glimmer sitting across from her with a content smirk on her face. "I swear you rigged this game." she muttered.

"Did not." the pink haired girl responded as she rolled the dice, landing a five as she moved her top hat five squares, landing on an open property that she quickly snatched up. "You just don't like that I'm beating you."

"You always win at monopoly! I haven't won a single game against you."

"I'm just good at it, I had lots of practice growing up."

"You don't practice monopoly, it's a purely luck based game. There is no strategy to winning."

"That's what an amateur monopoly player would say."

Adora furrowed her eyebrows at her, frowning as she grabbed the dice, shaking them furiously in her hands before sending them flying. The dice landed on the board, one landing a four and the other a two. "Damn it!" she muttered, shaking her head as she sighed. "Next time can we play jenga?"

"You mean the game you win every single time? Yeah ok."

"Fine then we'll play yahtzee or better yet connect four!"

"... I am not playing connect four, I don't even have connect four."

"Well I do."

"Can't you play it with Mermista?"

"The only game she likes is Cards Against Humanity."

Truth be told Adora wasn't totally sure how she'd gotten into this situation, she was supposed to be studying yet here she was in Glimmer's dorm, sat across from her on the floor playing monopoly. Sure she was a tad bit annoyed with the way her luck was going game wise but beyond that she was happy and relaxed. Glimmer's presence was calming and she enjoyed their game nights that were quickly becoming a regular thing. Each time Glimmer making a bowl of popcorn for the two of them to share and Adora would bring over soft drinks as her end of the deal.

Glimmer laughed at her as she rolled the dice, landing a seven as she moved her top hat before landing on Go To Jail, her face falling as Adora started cackling.

"Haha, its your turn to come be stuck with me in jail, get moving Glimmer."

The pink haired girl rolled her eyes at her as she moved her piece next to Adoras. "Quit mocking me and roll the dice."

A couple hours passed and the game was over, Adora surprisingly winning the game in the end but not by much. The two of them were on Glimmer's couch, watching a movie with the lights dimmed as a peaceful silence filled the room.

Adora yawned, knowing she should head back to her dorm but she was too tired to get up. Being like this made her problems dissipitate into thin air and it felt nice to be with someone who understood her.

"Hey Glimmer?"

"Mmm?"

"I had fun tonight, I needed a break from everything going on right now. Thank you."

The pink haired girl gave her a small tired smile from across the couch. "You're welcome, I had fun too. Next time I'll beat you at monopoly."

"We'll see about that."

Adora didn't know how long it had been but eventually she startled awake, not realizing she'd fallen asleep as she glanced around the room, the tv off and the lights turned off. It took her a moment before she noticed a weight on her body and it wasn't long before she'd realized Glimmer must have fallen asleep as well and had now wound up fast asleep in her arms.

She debated about going back to her dorm and letting her friend sleep in peace but she didn't want to wake her or Mermista up and she herself was beginning to drift back to sleep. She smiled, closing her eyes as she wrapped her arm's around the snoring girl's midsection.

It wasn't long before she fell back asleep, a warm feeling in her chest as she slipped into a peaceful sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Its mainly filler to provide a little more build up in their relationship, Catra won't be appearing much in this story but I did want to give a little more backstory as well. I don't know how the last half turned into monopoly night but it did and I'm happy with it. I know this chapter was a little less angsty but the next few chapters will be full of it once we start tackling some of the bigger issues at hand. I hope you guys enjoy, thank you for reading!


	7. Chapter Seven

Adora was tired. Classes were waying her down and her emotions were all over the place, one day she'd be fine and everything was well in the world and the next she'd wake up consumed by grief and would hardly be able to function. She kept searching to see if she could find a therapist that she could afford but nothing was popping up. She was mentally exhausted and was barely getting by.

But despite how horrible she was feeling she knew Glimmer's stress level was probably ten times worse.

Every time she'd seen her recently the girl was throwing up or suffering from a terrible migraine or dealing with bad mood swings that made it hard to relax and forget about their problems. She knew it wasn't her fault and that it was being caused by her pregnancy yet she wished she could make it all go away. She could see the pain in her expression and the fatigue clouding her eyes more and more by the day and she wanted to somehow erase it all so she could go back to normal life.

She watched her friend from across the table, her head buried in a textbook as an untouched cup of herbal tea sat next to her. They had gone out to a cafe to hang out and study together but ever since they arrived it had been dead quiet between the two of them, Glimmer's attention focused solely on her homework. Adora's eyes couldn't help but drift down to her stomach, wondering if she already had a baby bump even though she knew she was less then two months pregnant and wouldn't be showing this early. It was strange to imagine her with a baby bump, the idea foreign as she tried to picture this shy girl walking around in maternity clothes, preparing a nursery as she waited to become a mother. She was still so young, even though she knew she was pregnant it still seemed like something she'd imagined, something that had popped up in a dream once that she'd mistaken for reality.

Adora kept trying to return her attention back to her own homework that needed to be done but she couldn't focus, her mind drifting back to Glimmer each time. Lately she'd been finding herself drawn to her more and more despite the fact that throughout the past week she'd always been in a bad mood. She still liked being around her, she found that whenever they talked it went on for hours despite them having a lot of differences. There was something about her that kept her coming back, kept her returning to her dorm to hang out and talk to her even when she wasn't feeling right, something that made her stick out in her brain. But what it was she had no clue.

Lines of stress were etched all over Glimmer's face and Adora couldn't help but wonder if she was doing ok.

"Hey Glimmer are you doing alright? You seem kinda distant today." Adora asked, the pink haired girl glancing up from her textbook.

"Oh sorry, I'm fine. Don't worry about me." she mumbled, giving her a tired smile as she returned back to her work.

The blonde sighed but decided not to push further, sensing that something was on her mind but she wasn't ready to talk. She tried to push those thoughts to the back of her mind as she picked up her pen, fixating on a new question on her worksheet that she hadn't started yet.

She had the sheet almost done when she heard the sound of weight shifting from the other end of the table. She looked up to see Glimmer closing her textbook, burying her face in her hands as she let out a loud sigh.

Adora dropped her pen, setting her paper down on the table. "What's wrong? Do you want to talk about it?"

"It's nothing, it's just..."Glimmer trailed off, hesitating as she tapped the end of her pencil over and over again in a nervous motion on the hard table. "I still haven't told my mom yet about the fact that I'm pregnant. I still don't know if I'm keeping the baby or not but I feel like I should tell her sooner rather then later but I know she probably won't react well."

"She's your mom, even if she is dissapointed I'm sure she won't stay mad for long, right?"

Glimmer shrugged. "I guess. I'm just dreading this conversation. I don't even know how to tell her."

"Maybe you could video call her and just tell her 'Hey mom, I'm pregnant'? Just come right out and say it?" Adora suggested, propping her elbows up on the table.

"I am not telling her over the phone, she'd freak. I'd rather tell her in person but she lives five hours away in South Dakota... I don't know when I'm supposed to get back to tell her since I don't drive!" Glimmer groaned, shoving her face into her hands.

Adora thought over Glimmer's words for a moment before an idea came to mind, a rather impulsive idea but it came out before she had a chance to fully think through it. "I could come with you! I could drive, I've never been to South Dakota anyways. It would be cool to go somewhere other then Minnesota."

Truth be told she didn't know what she'd been thinking when she suggested it. Asking to go on a road trip to someone's home who she'd only known for a little over a month? It sounded crazy in hind sight but in the moment it felt natural.

The shorter girl looked up, her interest peaked as she took a sip from her tea. "Really? You would actually be willing to tag along for a silly road trip to South Dakota of all places?"

"Sure, why not? The only problem is I don't have money for gas there and back..."

"I have money for gas if you're actually willing to come. If you come along there is a spare bedroom you could stay in." she replied as Adora mulled the idea over in her head.

"That's perfect, when were you thinking of going? I have a three day weekend next week."

"So do I!" Glimmer chirped, a cheerful smile making its way onto her face. "I guess we could go next weekend if you're ok with that?"

Adora nodded. "Definitely." she said, a small voice in the back of her head reminding her that she should be using her three days off to study but she quickly shoved it to the back of her head. "Just let me know where we're going and give me directions and we're good to go!"

Within seconds Glimmer had stood up and her arms were around her in a brief but sweet hug. "Thank you, thank you. I couldn't do this on my own."

A smile lit up on Adora's face as she pulled away, a light blush slowly staining her cheeks. "No problem. Will your mom be ok with me coming though?"

Glimmer's eyes widened as she pulled out her phone. "Shit, I forgot to ask!"

"Well just let me know what she says!" Adora laughed as she rose from her seat, gathering her school work in her arms. "I'll see you soon."

The pink haired girl nodded as she furiously typed away on her phone. "Bye!"

Within hours Adora's phone went off and when she unlocked it to check her notifications she saw the text straight away at the top of her screen.

'My mom said you're welcome to stay at our house. I'll send you directions later. :)' - Glimmer

/

The next week passed by quickly, Adora was practically drowning schoolwork and her job was driving her crazy. She hadn't seen Glimmer at all over the past week since she'd had zero free time. Now it was friday afternoon and she had to finish quickly packing her things before grabbing Glimmer to hit the road. She'd just gotten out of her last class for the day and she had to pack fast if they wanted to avoid being on the highway too late at night.

Mermista sat on her own bed across the room, having stayed in sick that morning from classes. She blew her nose loudly as she quirked an eyebrow at her roommate. "Wow you're packing a lot."

"Not really, I'm just making sure I have enough clothes for the next two days."

The blue haired girl rolled her eyes, sniffling as she grabbed another tissue. "Whatever. Why'd you even agree to go on this trip to North Dakota with this Glitter girl?"

"First of all it's South Dakota and her name is Glimmer not Glitter." Adora replied, tossing another shirt into her bag as she searched for a pair of pants to throw in. "Secondly she's my friend and she wanted me to come."

"Yeah but you've only known her like what? A month?"

The blonde groaned, biting back a snarky remark as she gritted her teeth. "So? We've become good friends, I know I haven't known her long but so what?"

"You do you, I'm just saying it seems a bit weird to me."

Adora finished putting the last of the clothing she needed in her backpack and zipped it shut, swinging it over her shoulder as she grabbed a jacket, ignoring her roommate's comment. "I'm heading out now. I'll be back sunday evening. You can have Seahawk over but please don't trash the place while I'm gone."

Mermista gave her a feable thumbs up before collapsing against the wall, slumped over as she sneezed. "Yeah yeah, whatever. Bye. Have fun with your little girlfriend." she said as Adora stepped out of their dorm.

She froze as the door closed behind her, Mermista's comment sticking out in her brain. Her and Glimmer weren't dating! Although maybe the fact that they were always spending time together had made people think they were a couple? She shook her head at the thought. Glimmer had been dating Bow and she was pregnant with his child! Bow was like a brother to Adora. It was too weird to even consider so she shoved it aside, brushing it off as one of Mermista's tasteless jokes that just wasn't funny.

She walked over to Glimmer's dorm and before she could knock the door opened. Glimmer stood there with a large bulky brown jacket on and a matching brown toque to go with it, a pink and purple backpack on her back as she smiled.

"Hey Adora, are you ready to go?" she asked, a tinge of nervousness evident in her voice.

"I'm ready. Are you? You seem nervous."

The shorter girl shrugged, adjusting her backpack slightly. "I am nervous about my mom, about how she'll react." she sighed.

Adora placed a hand on her shoulder and she looked up at her. She squeezed it gently and gave her a small smile. "I'm here with you if you need me. Besides I haven't been on a road trip in ages, this will be fun."

Glimmer's shoulders relaxed as she smiled. "Yeah you're right, come on let's get going."

/

The car ride was long, the highways were somewhat icy as they had left the day after a snow storm. Adora couldn't help her tight grip on the steering wheel, her anxiety sky high as she thought about how Bow was killed by a car accident because of how icy it was out.

Yet Glimmer seemed to notice how tense she was and throughout the drive she would start joking around with her or telling her a story, anything to calm her down and get her to relax slightly and she appreciated the gesture.

Around halfway through the drive they pulled over at a gas station. Adora needed to put some gas in the car and Glimmer wanted to wander inside for a few minutes. The pregnant girl passed her some money for the gas before heading inside.

Adora sighed as she began filling up the car, thoughts of Bow running through her mind. The last time she'd taken a road trip was with him. Road trips were always their thing, they had planned on travelling the world together one day. Their last trip together had been in august. They'd been travelling to New Mexico for two weeks and the first half of their trip went smoothly but when it came time for them to travel to the next city over and got lost, spending six hours trying to figure out where the hell they were before they finallly found a gas station where they found out they'd wound up in Texas. It was too late for them to turn around so they had to get a hotel room there for the night and the next morning it was time to turn around and head back to New Mexico.

She smiled at the memory, remembering how Bow had yelled at google maps for taking them to the wrong place, how he had made her take a photo on the way back at the welcome to Texas sign, how he'd teased her for months about it since she was the one who'd been driving. She missed him. She wished he was with her, travelling to South Dakota along with her. He'd always said he wanted to go to Mount Rushmore and she'd promised him they'd go together. She knew Glimmer's home town was at the other end of the state but she still felt sad that she was going without him.

She was just about done when Glimmer came out, holding a muffin in one hand and a cinnamon bun in the other that she pressed into Adora's hand before she could say anything. Sensing her confusion she burst out laughing, a slight blush on her cheeks. "I bought it for you. Its not much but... its something. I hope you like cinnamon buns."

Adora smiled at her as she peeled the plastic off the pastry, taking a bite out of it as she pulled the pump out of her car. "Thank you, you're too good to me." she replied as her stomach let out a loud grumble. "I didn't know I was hungry but apparently I'm starving!" she said jokingly.

Glimmer laughed as she climbed into the passenger seat. "You're welcome."

The roads up ahead were blanketed with ice and there was a thick layer of white snow everywhere. Adora took a sharp breath in before starting her car back up, pushing herself to keep moving onwards as she glanced over at her friend.

There was no turning back now, time to push through.

/

By the time they made it to Glimmer's house it was dark out. Adora was surprised at how small her hometown was. It had a population of around eight thousand people! Bright Moon was so much bigger compared to this little place. She was shocked at how few stores and businesses there were around, there was hardly anything to see or do!

"How did you grow up in a town this small?" she asked as she pulled into her driveway. "I would have died of boredom."

"Why do you think I moved to a big city like Bright Moon? There was nothing to do growing up. It also made it hard when I did start school since everyone had been in the same class since kindergarten and they already had their friend groups so when a newbie showed up it was impossible to fit in."

Adora nodded, glancing up at the small house in front of them. "I can only imagine, I don't think I can handle small town life." she said as she watched Glimmer walk up the front steps.

The house was a small brick house with a black stone roof, a black door and a couple windows along the front with their curtains drawn. She slowly made her way up behind her friend as the shorter girl knocked on the door. It wasn't long before the door opened and out stepped her mother.

She was extremely tall with fair skin and blonde hair pulled back into a bun, she was dressed in a beige turtleneck sweater and a pair of jeans, her violet eyes shining as a smile lit up on her face. "Glimmer! Welcome home!" she exclaimed as she pulled her daughter into a tight hug.

"N-nice to see you too mom!"

Her mom pulled away and turned to Adora, extending a hand towards her. "You must be Adora, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Adora blushed as she grabbed her hand, shaking it gently as she smiled politely. "Nice to meet you too! Thank you for letting me stay here."

"Oh it's no problem dear, now come on in. It must be freezing out there!" Angella replied as she hurried the two girls inside the house.

They stepped into a small sparsely decorated living room with a few pictures hanging on the wall. Adora's eyes fixated on a picture of what appeared to be a younger Angella holding a newborn Glimmer in her arms, a tuft of black hair on her head. Behind them stood a man who she could only assume was Glimmer's dad with black hair and lightly tanned skin, his smile bright as he had one arm wrapped around Angella's shoulders in an embrace.

Glimmer and her mom were busy catching up as Adora scanned the room, taking in everything before she noticed a large flag draped across the wall, upon closer inspection realizing it was the flag of mexico.

"Glimmer I didn't know you were mexican!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah I am. Well my dad was anyways. He was born in Cancun. I thought my last name was a dead give away." she laughed, rubbing the back of her neck as she stepped closer to Adora, closely inspecting the flag before them. "I almost forgot we had this old thing."

"I think it's cool."

"It is." Angella said quietly as she stepped between the two girls. "I was born in England but when I was 20 I moved to Cancun for a while for school. There I met Glimmer's father and we fell in love and moved here. He bought that flag when I first moved to South Dakota, he couldn't come with me right away so he left me with a parting gift."

"That's so romantic." Adora whispered, mesmerized by the pretty colours of the flag before noticing the look of sorrow on Glimmer's face. She hadn't been paying much attention to her but it made sense that all this talk about romance and her dad was starting to bring her down. "Where will I be sleeping? I should get some rest." she said, hoping to change the subject.

"You'll be staying in our guest room down the hall. I'll show you where it is." Angella replied as she gestured for Adora to follow her. She led her into a small room and stopped, giving Adora to set her bag down as she spoke. "This will be your room, I hope it's alright. I haven't had guests in quite a while."

The room was small but cozy, a queen bed in the corner with floral blankets and a small dresser in the corner, a picture of Glimmer at probably age 18 standing in a long purple gown hanging right above her bed. "This is perfect, thank you." Adora replied. "When was that picture taken?"

Angella smiled, closing her eyes as she hummed softly. "That was taken at Glimmer's high school graduation. She's a beautiful girl isn't she?"

Adora nodded. "She is."

"You seem like a good girl, Adora. I'm glad Glimmer has a friend like you in her life. Good night." the older lady said softly before exiting the room.

Adora pulled out her pajamas and changed, taking out her laptop and school work as she settled into the bed, trying to get some work done before she went to sleep. She could hear Glimmer and her mom catching up in the living room and she smiled to herself.

She was almost done her homework when she heard her door creak open. Closing her laptop she looked over to see Glimmer making her way into her room, dressed in a pair of pink and purple pajamas.

"Hey, you're still up?" she asked as she came over to sit next to Adora on her bed.

"Yeah I thought I'd work on some schoolwork. What about you? Sounds like you had a good chat with your mom. Did you tell her about your pregnancy?"

Glimmer shook her head, letting out a small sigh. "No, I'll tell her tomorrow. I didn't want to spring it on her right away when this is the first time I've seen her in months." she said quietly. "Thanks for coming along with me. I seriously appreciate it."

"No problem, it's cool seeing where you grew up!"

"Tomorrow I'll show you around town a bit if you'd like?"

"Sure that sounds like fun."

The pink haired girl gave her a warm smile before hugging her, resting her head gently against her shoulder. "Thank you again."

Adora smiled, a warm fuzzy feeling in her stomach as her hands found their way to her waist. "No problem, I'll see you in the morning." she said as Glimmer pulled away, getting up off her bed to leave for the night.

"Good night Adora."

"Good night Glimmer." she replied as she watched her friend leave, the door shutting softly behind her.

She opened her laptop back up and pulled her worksheet back out, willing herself to get her work done but thoughts she'd tried to push away kept trying to make their way up front and made it hard to focus. For now she would leave those thoughts untouched but sooner or later she wouldn't be able to push them back anymore.


End file.
